There has hitherto been disclosed a structure for serration-engaging the universal joint fitted to an end portion of an intermediate shaft of the steering apparatus with the pinion shaft of a rack-and-pinion mechanism (refer to, e.g., Patent documents 1 and 2).
Patent document 1 describes a guide member and a joining structure using a guide chip for positioning a yoke with respect to a pinion shaft in a rotating direction and an inserting direction of the yoke in order to fix an insertion position of a bolt for clamping the yoke for the pinion shaft and assemble the yoke of the universal joint to the pinion shaft while determining a neutral state of a steering wheel when assembling the yoke of the universal joint to the pinion shaft.
Patent document 2 describes the guide member and the joining structure, the configuration being such that an insertion restrictive shaft for hindering the insertion of the clamping bolt when the pinion shaft is in a position different from a normal position with respect to the yoke, is formed in protrusion at a front end portion of the pinion shaft. The insertion restrictive shaft is rotatable by a small torque, and an erroneous connection state can be detected when the yoke and the pinion shaft are not clamped in a normal clamping area of the pinion shaft but clamped erroneously in the insertion restrictive shaft of the pinion shaft.